Be Fruitful

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” – Ecclesiastes 9:10.

Are you being fruitful and productive right where you are today? Are you doing everything to the best of your ability? A lot of times we think, “As soon as I get a better job, then I´ll start working hard.” “As soon as I get over this sickness, then I´ll cheer up, then I´ll have a good attitude.”

But really, God wants us to do everything with all of our might no matter what the circumstances are. He wants us to become fruitful and productive today! He wants us to have a good attitude and do the right thing even when the wrong thing is happening to us.

See, we have to be faithful in the wilderness if we´re ever going to make it into our Promised Land. Remember, God is keeping the records. If you´ll keep doing the right thing with all your might, in spite of the circumstances, then you are sowing a seed for God to bring you up higher. You are opening the way for Him to bless and multiply you in every area of your life!

Day of Opportunity

In spite of all the increasing restrictions and hostile attitudes to the Gospel, there are still opportunities. Times of crises have always been times of great opportunity in the history of missions. It is sad to hear missions are planning progressive withdrawal at such a time as this. What is needed is not withdrawal but intelligent involvement.

Structures may have to be given up, positions of responsibility may have to be transferred, but certainly this is not the time to ignore opportunity or to cast off our obligation to preach the Gospel to every creature. The Bible says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” Eccl 11:4. The early church never regarded the wind and whether before she went out in obedience to her God’s commission.

The missionary call may not come to everyone, but missionary involvement is a must for all. Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” and I said, “Here am I, send me!” Isaiah 6:8. The voice of the lord still beckons us to get involved, would we answer, “Here am I…”.

Day of Action

You may ask, what kind of Action?

William Houghton of Moody bible institute has said, “Once Christians were warriors; now they are tourists. Once they were crusaders; now they are country gentlemen.” How true!

Every missionary service degenerates to going into all the world taking pictures and writing letters to every creature. A perverted version of the Great Commission indeed! While a significant section of the church is engrossed in the promulgation of the social gospel, the clarion call comes today to proclaim the message of salvation to the ends of the world. Without seeking to escape our obligations to the society and to humanity, to love and to serve, we still affirm that our primary task is to preach the Gospel which has the remedy to all human ills.

That is what Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16.

Day of Challenge

”That the Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, then the end will come” – Matthew 24:14

India is still the largest mission field in the world. We are in the midst of challenging needs. Majority of the people of this land live in villages and some of these have never heard the name of Jesus even once.

A group of villagers were gathered around a wooden carving in one of the museums. One asked “Who is he”. Another queried “Is he a god?” A third intervened, “Why is he hanging like this?” They were all looking at a wooden carving of the crucified Christ. What a rebuke! What a challenge!

Jesus died around 2000 years ago. He rose again and is living today. But there are people in my country and yours who do not know who He is or why He died. Is it not a challenge? When the Lord had clearly said in Matthew 24:14 “That the Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, then the end will come”. How can we hasten the coming of the Lord without being involved in active evangelism both as individuals and as a corporate body? Truly this is a challenge.

Day of Radical Commitment

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24,25.

To us, the Disciples of Christ, this must be therefore the day of passionate commitment. I say ‘passionate commitment’ because there are commitments and commitments. We are familiar with certain type of commitment which will bask in Christian fellowship, chorus singing and self-entertainment and stop there. But ours is a faith of Martyrs. Its symbol is the cross, and its monuments the catacombs. Let us not make it a luxury religion, a cosy haven for an escapist. Christ needs soldiers of the cross, not as someone has said, chocolate soldiers. How often our commitment and discipleship are so costless.

King David in 1 Chronicles 21:24 said “I will not take…sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing”. Deliberate commitment is costly, we are called to count the cost. In John 12:24 – 26, Jesus said “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be. My father will honor the one who serves me. ”So can our commitment be anything less? Has our prayer life, our giving, our surrender to Christ cost us anything? Do we pray and give to the Lord ‘until it hurts’? Are we willing to go in daring faith wherever he leads us? If we obey, then the Lord will open up opportunities for His glory.